Quick--what company do you think of when I say the word "telephone company"? How about "Internet search engine"? Starting today, you may end up using the same word for both: Google.
Google is tossing its hat into the telecommunications ring by announcing Google Voice. Available to select customers now, it should open up to the public in a few more weeks. And if Google's idea takes off, companies like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Skype, and even Microsoft are going to be shaking in their boots.
And guess what? The program is free.
Based on the GrandCentral technology that Google acquired back in 2007, Google Voice will offer the following features. You receive a single "phone number for life" that routes calls to you home, work, and cell phones simultaneously. You can call phone numbers in the U.S. for free, and international rates are drastically lower (think 2 cents a minute to China, for example). You can obtain voicemail messages from your landline, cell phone, or Web-connected computer, or have them transcribed into e-mail or text messages. You can make conference calls. And these are just a few of the features.
And the program is free!
Eventually Google Voice will tie into Google apps, making it a hefty competitor to Microsoft Office for many small and medium-sized businesses. It already integrates with Gmail, and technical experts predict many voice-activated applications (similar to what's available on the iPhone) will be available.
(Did I mention that the program is free?)
About that free part--if you're wondering how Google is going to make any money off this service, you're not alone. However, the company states that the fees from international calling alone will support the service. And don't be surprised if audio versions of Google ads make their way into the system. Still, is that too much to endure when the service is free?
Other telcom companies brush off Google's launching of its service, saying there are too many variables in place for the company to justify its claims. Yet Google is banking that users will flock to Google Voice, changing not only their phone service but the way they access their phone service. Cell phones changed the way we talked to people; Google could change the way we communicate, period.
Best of all, the program is...free!
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